New Horizons
by Nina430
Summary: Max is slowly discovering that things between her and Logan aren't as black and white as she thought. This takes place in Season 3 after the seige of Terminal City. Eventually MA pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Fox owns them.

This story takes place about one month after the end of Season two.

Chapter 1

Max Guevera sighed as she sifted through the stack of files on her desk. It had been Logan's idea to create a file on each and every transgenic and transhuman here in Terminal City. Each file contained a list skills and training that each had acquired at Manticore. I am in desperate need of a secretary she thought as the top files fell to the floor. Frustrated, she circled around her desk and began picking up the files, silently cursing Logan and his **brilliant** ideas.

She paused when she came across Alec's file. On the outside of the tan file, Alec/ X5 494 was written in bold black letters. She sat on the floor and rested against the desk. Involuntarily, she opened Alec's file. The green eyes and handsome smile that greeted her was Ben's, but that was as similar to her brother as Alec got. Alec was self-centered. He was a big flirt who knew just how handsome he was and wasn't afraid to use it to get what he wanted.

Sometimes Max hated him. She hated how confident he always was. She hated how he was always getting into trouble, and how she always had to rescue him. But she knew that she couldn't live without him. He was a big part of her life now—a part she couldn't…wouldn't part with. Whether she liked it or not, she cared about him. He was a part of her family now.

Since the beginning of the siege of Terminal City, Alec had stood behind her as unwavering support. Although the other transgenics and transhumans admired Max and had seen what she could do, they were a little wary of her assuming a position of power over them because of her 09er status. Fortunately, they trusted Alec, and he had convinced them that she was the best person for the job.

What would I do without you? she thought. Hopefully, I'll never have to find out

"A penny for your thoughts," a voice said behind her.

Max had been so consumed with her thoughts that she hadn't even heard Logan come in. She quickly closed Alec's file. Logan wasn't Alec's biggest fan especially since Max had told him a little white lie months ago. She had told him that she and Alec were together in order to get him to stay away from her. She was sure that one day the virus that Renfro had infected her with would kill him. Of course, she had eventually told him the truth, but Logan seemed to always be looking at both transgenics for reassurance that there was nothing going on between them.

Max grinned. "A penny? My thoughts are worth more than that." She pushed herself up off the floor, grabbed the files and put them on the desk.

"Lonnie and Cross wanted to talk to you about something when you have time," Logan said, leaning in the doorway.

Lonnie and Cross were the latest X5s to get together. Max bet that they wanted to talk to her about new living arrangements or something like that. They were so in love that it bothered her to see them together sometimes. They were almost inseparable. Logan and I can't even touch she thought with more than just a little bitterness. She spotted the rubber gloves on Logan's hands. It made her want to cry. If she weren't a soldier, she might have.

Max saw the longing in Logan's eyes. She realized that he was probably thinking the same thing.

"I'm going to go see what Lonnie and Cross want," Max said. There really wasn't any reason to rush, but she felt an overwhelming desire to get as far away from Logan as possible. He was a constant reminder of what she could never truly have.

"Are we still on for dinner tonight?"

Max brought her hand to her head pretending that the event had escaped her mind. "Dinner? I forgot all about that. I promised Original Cindy that I'd help her move into her new apartment." She ignored the disappointment written all over Logan's face. She just couldn't deal with this—with him tonight. There was an army outside of the gates of Terminal City waiting to destroy Max and her kind. She couldn't let her problems with Logan distract her.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Charles Eglee, James Cameron, and Fox own Dark Angel as well as most of the characters in this story.

Chapter 2

"So how come you aren't at Logan's crib tonight?" O.C. asked, taking a sip of her lukewarm coffee. It was still early in the evening—only eight o' clock. She and Max had spent half of the day lugging her belongings to her new apartment.

Max curled her legs underneath her and shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to help you move. You know I had to help my home girl."

O.C gave her a look of disbelief. "I could have had Joshua help me."

"Hmmm. I didn't even think about that," Max said with a shrug. "You're telling me that you didn't want my company?" She pretended to look hurt.

O.C rolled her eyes. "Don't even go there. You know I love hanging out with you. Now back to the subject at hand. Why are you avoiding him?"

"Avoiding who?" Max picked at the cotton on O.C's secondhand couch.

"You know who, Max. I thought things were good with you and Mr. Save the World."

Max sighed heavily. "I thought so too, O.C. I love Logan…." Even as she said the words, she realized that it sounded as if she were reciting a line from a play. How could she convince her friend that she loved Logan if she wasn't completely sure herself?

At one point in time the words would have been genuine. What had changed?

O.C was watching her closely. She saw a myriad of emotions pass quickly over Max's face. It was one of the few times that Max allowed anyone to see past her military mask. "You sure about that, Boo?"

Before Max could even formulate a response, her pager went off. "Alec." She stood up quickly, grateful for the interruption. "I have to go. If Alec's paging me, it probably means that something is going down in Terminal City. We'll chill tomorrow. Okay?"

O.C nodded. "Sure thing." As she watched Max retreat, she was sure of one other thing--something was definitely going on with her home girl.

"Okay, what's up?" Max asked Alec as she entered the ponderous building that had become TC Headquarters.

Alec looked up from the map he, Dix, and Mole were gathered around. The three of them had been completely absorbed in whatever they were looking at. As usual Alec was the first one to acknowledge her presence. "Well look what the cat dragged in."

"Shut up and spill, Alec,' Max said crossing her arms across her chest. She gave him her no nonsense look, which only made Alec grin.

"We were looking over the schematics, and we found another underground tunnel that runs out of Terminal City," Alec said tracing the highlighted route on the map. Max bent over the map, paying careful attention to everything he was saying. "We figure we could use it to bring in more X-series quicker as well as supplies because it might start looking suspicious if we keep bringing people into O.C's building. We could alternate. The last thing we need is for anyone to discover the tunnel that is connected to O.C.'s room. White and his cronies would have a field day with that."

Max nodded in approval. "Good work. I didn't think you had it in you," she joked.

"You really need to stop underestimating me," Alec said, looking hurt.

Max laughed at that. "Good one, Alec. Now how about you go and check out that tunnel."

"Only if I get the pleasure of your company," He replied, winking at her.

"Dream on. Take Mole or one of the X6s with you."

Alec stuck out his lip in a pout. "But none of them are half as hot as you." He had barely got the words out before his remark earned him a slap to the back of his head.

"Really, Max. If you want to touch me, all you have to do is ask. No need to get violent," Alec said, ducking out of the room quickly to avoid Max's wrath. He lived to come up with ways to get under Max's skin. It never took much for him to achieve his goal either.

Max watched him leave, resisting the urge to go after him and pummel him with her fists.

"Do my eyes deceive me or did our resident Ms. Attitude let Alec go with his body intact?" Kassie said, shaking her head in feigned surprise. She had watched the entire scene play out from the doorway. She was one of the three-dozen X5s living in Terminal City excluding Max and Alec. She and Max had grown pretty close over the last month.

"I'll get him later," Max said without much conviction. She brushed her long hair out of her face and frowned. "Honestly, Kass. Alec is like a little kid. It's like he lives to torture me. I swear Manticore must have created him for that purpose."

"Why do you let him bother you?" Kassie asked. Her gray eyes were wide with curiosity. She absentmindedly twirled her red hair around her finger, which meant that she was thinking hard.

"I don't know. He just knows how to push my buttons." Max rolled her eyes. "Anyway… you hungry? You want to go grab something to eat from the mess hall?" The Manticore style mess hall was only temporary until things settled down enough for them to build a restaurant.

The redheaded transgenic gave her a strange look. "Talk about a major subject change, Max. Talking about Alec bothers you?"

"No. I just have other things on my mind so can you drop the whole Alec thing?" Max said more harshly than she had intended.

Kassie held up her hands defensively. "Okay. Point taken. Let's go get something to eat."

As they headed to the mess hall, Max let her mind wander back to Kassie's words. Why did she let Alec bother her?

**Alana84**- Thanks for your review and for the correction. I was watching an episode of dark Angel and I realized that his eyes aren't blue.

**lakergirl08**- Thank you.

**Alec'sAngel494**- Thanks

**Aur**-Thanks

**lex2u**- Thanks

**Please Review. All comments are welcome.** :)


	3. Chapter 3

ABC owns the characters….

Chapter 3

Alec wiped the sweat off of his forehead. One thing he hated more than anything was being hot, and hot didn't even begin to describe the temperature in these tunnels.

"Are we there yet?" Kel, the teenage X6 asked eagerly. His brown eyes were wide with excitement. He was beginning to remind Alec of some of those annoying Pre-Pulse commercials in which the kids asked their parents 'are we there yet' every few minutes. Alec tried to remind himself that it had been weeks since any of the transgenics other than Max and Alec had been outside of TC.

"We're almost there, Kiddo," Alec said. Really, he wasn't more than five years older than Kel. The fact that Alec had more experience outside of Manticore made him look at the other X series as children.

"I see a little bit of light," Kel said, pointing in front of them. The pair stepped out of the tunnel and into a dark basement. There was only a small ray of light coming from a hole in the ceiling. Covering their noses, they went upstairs to find themselves in an abandoned building. Papers and old furniture were strewn all over the place and the smell was less than pleasant. "Max is going to love this," Kel said, excitedly.

Alec nodded in agreement. Sure the smell in here made him want to puke, and the place was filthy, but they could fix it up really nice. This was the ideal place to set up base outside of Terminal City. He took a digital camera out of his knapsack and started snapping pictures of the interior of the building. When he was done, he clapped his hands together. "Okay. We're done here. Time to head back."

"Can't we go get something to eat? Please," Kel said. "It would be great to have takeout."

Alec considered it. It wouldn't take long to grab a burger. "So that's why you came with me, Kel," he joked. "And I thought it was because you looked up to me."

At Jo's Diner, a couple of blocks away, the two transgenics ordered double cheeseburgers and sat down to eat.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kel asked. He seemed nervous now.

"Depends."

"Well the other guys in my unit are saying that you and Max are together—mates," Kel said carefully. He watched Alec, hoping that he hadn't crossed the line.

Alec grinned. "Me and Max? Mates? In her dreams. That girl is way too uptight. Besides, I like my women a little thicker." He laughed as if that was the most absurd thing he had ever heard in his life.

"I think she's hot," Kel admitted. "Most of the guys do. When she goes into heat….."

Alec frowned. What did Kel mean when he said that most guys thought she was hot? And further more, why did it bother him so much? _Alec, you are not jealous_ he thought to himself. He thought about the rest of Kel's words. "When she goes into heat…." He hit his forehead with his hand. He realized that Max had never gone into heat near any of the X series males. She wasn't prepared to deal with it. Maybe she'd been able to control herself to a certain extent while she was out of Manticore. Now she was surrounded by X series. Her inability to control herself would be nothing compared to the chaos that would be created among the transgenic males. He made a mental note to speak to her about it or ask Kassie to bring it up. Kassie would probably do a better job explaining it than he would.

"Everyone get on the floor! This is a holdup!"

The voice broke through Alec's thoughts. _Great. Just my luck_. He turned to see the criminals. There was a tall, big-boned man with red hair and gray eyes, a shorter man with black hair and gray eyes, and a muscular man with bloodshot eyes and a bald head. All three men had rifles in their hands.

"We can take them," Kel said, gripping the table tightly. "They don't stand a chance against us."

Alec shook his head. For once, he was thinking about what Max said. They couldn't expose themselves unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I said get down!" the bald guy said, hitting Alec in the head with the butt of his rifle. Alec gritted his teeth and got down on the floor._ Wouldn't Max be proud of me now? I'm thinking like her now _he thought bitterly.

"Come on, Alec. There are only three of them," Kel insisted. His eyes flashed with anger toward the man who had hit Alec.

"I said no, X6 298," Alec said firmly. He was in command mode now. Kel shut his mouth, knowing that Alec was serious, and that he wouldn't back down. Since the siege of Terminal City, no one really used their designations unless they meant business.

Alec crouched on the floor and looked around slowly. He could see three waitresses and four cooks cowering behind a counter in terror. There were four women across from him, a family of five with three small children, and several businessmen there for their daily dose of caffeine.

One of the criminals cleaned out the register while the other two took valuables from the customers—jewelry, money, whatever was shiny.

Alec remained very still as one of the men patted him down and took his cell phone out of his pants pocket. His hearing picked up the distinct sound of a rifle being cocked. His head swiveled around, and he saw one of the men holding a gun to the Diner owner's head. When his finger was mere centimeters from the trigger, Alec decided that enough was enough.

He jumped to his feet. "Hey!"

"Get down!" one of the men yelled. The guy with the gun on the owner turned it on Alec just as he'd hoped.

"I wouldn't do that," Alec said. He blurred and snatched the gun from the man's hand. He slammed his elbow into the guy's nose, breaking it. With his other hand, he unloaded the gun.

Kel had taken his cue from the older soldier and disarmed the second criminal. He put the man in a chokehold, knocking him out.

"You two are them transgenic freaks," the last man said. He trembled in fear.

Alec rolled his eyes. He hated being called a freak. "No, we're just American citizens. You on the other hand…." He knocked the guy out with a punch to the head. "…are scum." He took his cell phone back and slipped it into his pocket.

"Thank you so much," the owner said.

Alec nodded. "No apology necessary." He saw how everyone was looking at them—like they didn't know who was scarier, the robbers or the transgenics. He made eye contact with Kel. It was definitely time to go. He could hear police sirens in the distance. He wondered how long it would take for Max to hear about this.

**Please Review :)**

**Alana84 I'm really glad you enjoyed chapter 2.**

**aleja21 Thanks. More will definitely keep coming as long as I know that people are interested inmy story.**

**Lex2u Thank you. I know what you mean. I love the stories where you see agradual**

** change in Max and Alec's relationship before they actually get together. **


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to James Cameron, Charles Eglee, and Fox.

_Alec nodded. "No apology necessary." He saw how everyone was looking at them—like they didn't know who was scarier, the robbers or the transgenics. He made eye contact with Kel. It was definitely time to go. He could hear police sirens in the distance. He wondered how long it would take for Max to hear about this._

Chapter 4

"I am going to kill him!" Max had just seen the news report, and she was furious. Apparently, two transgenic males had taken out a bunch of low-life thugs at a diner. Some people looked terrified when they talked about what had happened. Max was sure that they were more afraid of the transgenics than they were of the thugs. There was one witness who came on the screen and described one of the transgenics as a hunk with amazing green eyes and the sexiest grin she ever saw. She had a dreamy expression on her face. Max immediately connected the dots. Only Alec could have that effect on women. "What was Alec thinking!"

Even Mole flinched at the young woman's anger. Everyone else was quiet, unwilling to have her anger directed at them.

"I was thinking that I'd save someone's life," Alec said, entering Headquarters with Kel in tow. "Isn't that what you would have done?" he said, sarcastically.

"What were you doing at a diner in the first place? I thought that you and Kel were supposed to be checking out the tunnels _not_ pigging out," Max said, glaring at him. She put the sole blame on Alec and not Kel. "Now thanks to you, transgenics have made the news again. Ordinaries are afraid of what they don't understand. They're terrified of our superiority. Our deal with the Seattle Police Department was that we would stay inside TC for now." Of course they had to sneak out of TC for supplies, but what the police didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

"Calm down, Maxie," Alec said, rolling his eyes. He was barely controlling his growing anger. He wasn't stupid. He may not have been out in the world as long as Max, but he understood Ordinaries pretty well. Furthermore, he was there when they had made the deal with the police.

"Don't call me Maxie. Ever." Max stormed out of the room, leaving behind a just as angry Alec. She figured that she'd better leave now before she exploded and did or said something she might regret.

"What does she expect from me? I kill someone—that's bad. I save someone—that's bad," Alec said, angrily. He slammed his fist into the nearest wall, creating a deep crater.

Kassie sighed, choosing not to comment on the hole in the wall. "She worries, Alec. She worries about you---about all of us."

"Whatever," Alec said, storming out of the room.

"Those two have got some serious issues," Mole said, shaking his head. "If I wasn't afraid they'd kill each other; I'd lock them in a room together so they could sort out their problems."

"I think things might be a bit more complicated with them," Kassie said thoughtfully.

&&&&&

**one hour later**

"Has anyone seen, Max?" Logan asked Kassie. He had been looking for her for a while.

Kassie shook her head. "Nope—not since she and Alec both stormed out of here after their ritual bickering."

Logan's eyes darkened at the mention of Alec's name.

Kassie didn't even notice the change in his eyes. "This time it was about that problem Alec had at the diner today."

"That's what I came to talk to her about," Logan lied. He had no idea what Kassie was talking about. He just wanted tosee Max because he was beginning to feel like she was slipping through his fingers more and more each day, and he desperately wanted to hold on.

&&&&&

Max sat on top of the Space Needle with her legs pulled against her body. When she was up here, she could see all of Seattle without their knowledge. More importantly she could sort out her thoughts and feelings. She let her legs dangle over the edge of the Space Needle. It was dangerous. She knew that, and therefore found it more exhilarating.

"I knew I'd find you up here," Alec said coming up behind her.

Max stiffened. There went the peace. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you hate me so much," Alec said as he sat beside her. Before she could answer him, he added "Is it because of Ben?"

Max gave him a helpless look. He had really caught her off guard. "I...I don't hate you, Alec. I never hated you. Sometimes I hate the things you do, but…" She glanced over at him. He was so close. For the first time, she felt uncomfortable next to him.

" You sure about that, Maxie?" he asked, bitterly.

Max let the fact that he'd called her Maxie slide. She could see that he was serious. She wasn't angry with him anymore. She had spent a lot of time thinking and she realized that she was being unfair to Alec. He _had_ saved the lives of the people at the Diner. Max bit her lip and then brought her hand up to his cheek.

"I don't hate you, Alec. Believe me. I'm just afraid for you. Every time that you get into some trouble, I'm afraid that you won't come back. I don't want to lose you. I already lost too many people that I care about." Alec's breath was warm against her hand. He turned his head slightly and for a minute, she thought that he was going to kiss her palm.

Instead, he grabbed her wrist and looked into her eyes, half expecting to see amusement in them. What he saw was her sincerity. Now he was more bewildered than ever. "You won't lose me, Max. I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise me that you'll be more careful, Alec. Please."

"I promise," he said. He was still shocked by the fact that she'd admitted that she cared about him. He looked at her as if he were looking at a stranger. This was a side of Max that he had never seen or believed existed. Alec froze when he saw her tremble. "Max?"

"I…" Max started to speak, but she was overcomeby convulsions.

"Oh crap."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Fox, Charles Eglee, and James Cameron own the characters….

"_I promise," he said. He was still shocked by the fact that she'd admitted that she cared about him. He looked at her as if he were looking at a stranger. This was a side of Max that he had never seen or believed existed. Alec froze when he saw her tremble. "Max?"_

"_I…" Max started to speak, but she was overcome with convulsions._

"_Oh crap."_

_**-------------**_

**Chapter 5**

Alec caught Max just as she was about to fall over the edge of the Space Needle. He scooped her trembling form up into his arms and quickly left their sanctuary. As intelligent as Manticore's scientists had been, they still had been unable to find a cure for the seizures that plagued the X series.

Alec tried to clear his head and figure out what to do. Terminal City was too far for him to make it back in time. Besides, he was fresh out of tryptophan and, Max wasn't coherent enough to tell him where her meds were.

"Alec…"

Alec looked down at Max. Her eyes were closed, and her small hands gripped his shirt tightly. Even in this moment of weakness, she was strong. He could hear her heartbeat racing and then slowing down. "Come on, Max. Hold on." He took her to the closest place he could think of—Logan's apartment.

In too much of a hurry to use conventional methods or manners, he kicked open the door to Logan's home and closed it with his hip. He quickly and as gently as possible, placed Max on the couch.

"Logan!" Alec called out only to be greeted by silence. _Where's Miracle Boy when you need him_? he thought in irritation. He blurred to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. He didn't bother getting a cup. He knelt beside Max and forced her to drink some of the milk. The effects of the tryptophan in the milk were almost instantaneous. The tremors and shaking stopped for the time being. Alec knew that the milk was only a temporary solution. In a little while, the seizures would start back up, and they would probably be worse. "There's a hospital down the street, Max. I'm going to go and see about "borrowing" some tryptophan. I'll be back. I promise," he whispered in her ear. He stood up and stared down at her. How did she do it? One minute he was furious with her and then the next minute, he was risking everything for her. Already, he had made two promises to her tonight, and he didn't plan on breaking either one.

&&&&

Logan tried not to be impatient. He had paged Max five times already. He'd been waiting for her at TC for three hours.

"Hey, Logan," Lonnie said, coming over to him. Lonnie was tall for an X5 female—a little over five feet nine inches. She had wide hazel eyes and light brown skin.

"Hi, Lonnie." Logan looked at his watch.

"You're looking for Max?"

"Yes. You know where she is?"

Lonnie shook her head. "Max slips out of here sometimes without telling anyone. We're all used to it. Besides, I'm not as close to her as Kassie and Alec. If they don't know where she is, no one does."

"Alec? Do you know where he is right now?"

Lonnie looked thoughtful. "You know, he left about two hours after Max did. Don't ask me where he went because I haven't the slightest idea."

Logan was silent, deep in thought. So both Max and Alec were gone. Were they somewhere together? Was she cheating on him with Alec? Then again, could it really be called cheating? Logan and Max weren't together the way normal boyfriends and girlfriends were. It was that stupid virus. "Can I ask you a question, Lonnie?"

The African American transgenic nodded slowly. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to want to answer this question.

"Do you think that Max and Alec are more than friends?" Logan asked casually.

Lonnie read between the lines. Were Max and Alec together? She had to approach this question very carefully. "Yes, I think they're more than friends. They've been through a lot together. They're family now."

Logan frowned. That wasn't the answer he'd expected to hear. Then he realized that even if they were together, Lonnie wouldn't tell him. He was an Ordinary. X series soldiers looked out for each other, and they were extremely loyal. No matter how hard he fought on their side, he would never be one of them.

&&&&&

Even though Alec had not thoroughly planned out his hospital break in, he knew that it wouldn't be a difficult job. After all, he had been trained to do this his whole life. Getting past security was fairly easy. He crept up the stairs so quietly that even he couldn't hear his steps. He found the supply closet without a problem.

Knowing it would be locked; he crouched down in the shadows and waited for security to make its nightly runs. Sure enough, within minutes, he heard the jingle of the guard's keys. He waited until the guard was close to his position before jumping out and attacking. He punched the chubby guard in the face and knocked him out with another powerful jab. Alec carefully laid the man down on the floor so that there weren't any unnecessary noises to draw unwanted attention. He took the keys, unlocked the door, and helped himself to two bottles of tryptophan. And then as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone.

&&&&

Logan finally decided to go home. There was no point in hanging around TC. He made his way to his apartment only to find that the lock on his door was broken. He grabbed the bat that he kept in the front by the door and braced himself for whatever was inside.

"Max!" Logan dropped the bat and rushed to the couch where Max was shaking uncontrollably. "Oh my God!" He tried to put on his gloves so that he could help her, but they kept falling because of his nervousness.

"Move, Logan," Alec said, behind him. He pushed the older man aside and pulled a container of tryptophan from the inside of his leather jacket. He pushed Max's damp hair out of her face and forced the medication into her mouth. "You're going to be okay, Max," he whispered as he held her down so that she wouldn't fall off of the couch. He let out a sigh of relief when the seizures ceased, and she relaxed.

Logan watched enviously. Alec could touch Max when he couldn't. He could help her when he couldn't. "She'll be okay now," he said just because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I know," Alec said. He glanced at Max. She was asleep now and the color had returned to her cheeks.

"You were with her before the seizures?" Logan's voice held an accusatory tone.

Alec looked at him in disgust. "Are you really going to sit here and put on a jealous act? Max could have died!" he spat out angrily. _I could have lost her._ What did Max see in this man? He took a deep breath, attempting to calm down. "Look, can she stay here tonight or should I bring her home?"

"She can stay here," Logan said. He didn't even turn around when Alec left. "What's happening to us, Max?" he whispered.


End file.
